Autonomous future

Kolumbus was Norway's first with testing of autonomous bus on public roads. Here you will find all you need to know about the autonomous bus at Forus, a project which is terminated.

The autonomous bus is now taking a prolonged and well deserved Christmas break. Early 2019 we will start planning for the next phase of the project, although the location will probably not be Forus.

How does it work?

Here you will find more information on how the autonomous bus works.

Organisation of the project

Read more about who participates in the project, among other things.

Why autonomous?

Are you wondering what Kolumbus thinks about the future of autonomous vehicles?

The autonomous bus is perfect for the short trips between the home, the bus or train stop, the office and the grocery store. Although mass transit lines are built where many people live, there will always be large numbers living outside these areas as Norwegian cities keep growing. The autonomous bus will play a key role in transporting people the first and last leg in their every day travels.

Passenger transport at Forus

The project, which is split into several phases, started in January 2017. In phase one, the driverless buss operated in a closed area at Forus. One year after, the legislation allwing testing of autonous vehicles on public roads in Norway was finally in place. After an application process, Kolumbus autonous bus drove on a Norwegian public road as the first of its kind on 12 June 2018.

Until December 2018, the bus operated a set route between the Tvedt shopping centre and several thousand work places along Kanalsletta at Forus.

Safety first

The project's main emphasis and prerequisite is that passengers and people in close proximity to the vehicle are to be safe at all times.

For every metre the bus drives, sensors register the proximity to fixed obstacles that the bus already know the location of, like sidewalks, the width of the road and so on. If something deviates from the pattern that the bus already has learnt, it will calculate the risk, and if new objects appear within the closest security zone, the bus will stop immediately.

If you wish to join a digital test drive, check out this video.

If you wish more information about the autonomous bus, you can e-mail selvkjorende@kolumbus.no

Last updated : 30.11.2018